Index-card



L. A. GALE.

INDEX CARD.

APPLICATION man NOV. 14-. 1919.

1,370,424, Patented Mar. 1,1921.

L a7? Q6036 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LABURTON A. GALE, OE BELMONT, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO LIBRARY BUREAU, OF CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

IN DEX-CARD.

Application filed November 14, 1919.

T aZZ to 710m it may concern Be it known that I, LABURTON A. GALE, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Belmont, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvements in Index-Cards, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to index cards for liling or indexing systems, and particularly to the construction of the tab of a heavy, stout card such as is commonly used for aguide card or divider card to separate the folders, cards or other indexed matter of a so-called vertical filing system into groups.

. The object of the invention is to provide a novel form of metal tab capable of holding and displaying a removable index slip, which tab shall be stout and durable, and simple and easy to assemble; also to provide a simple and effective removable composite index slip, comprising a suitable sheet or strip for receiving index characters and a protective sheath of transparent, wear resisting and moisture proof material, of

.- novel construction and novel relationship of parts. In the accompanying drawings which illustrate the preferred embodiment of the invention,

Figure 1 s a front elevation of the index card and tab;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged cross section on line 22 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the removable index strip and its protective sheath.

T he card body l may be made of any suit able sheet material, such as cardboard, fiber board or other suitable stiff or heavy sheet material. Secured to one side of the card at its margin, its a metal plate 5, which proects beyond the edge of the card and is )rovided at its free edge with a retaining lip o, preferably formed by bending over the outer margin from the plane of the plate.

On the opposite side of the card is secured a second metal plate 7, whose edge 8 terminates beyond the edge of the card but short of the lip 6, thus forming a lip,-which, with the lip 6, the back of plate 5, and the edge of the card constitutes a holder and slideway for a removable index slip. As herein shown the two plates 5 and 7 are fastened to the card and to each other by interlocking fasteners or eyelets 9, formed by interlocking the edges of the plates around punched holes and upsetting one over the other with- Patented Mar. 1

Serial No. 338,016.

in a registering hole in the card, as best shown in Fig. 2. Other means of fastening the two plates to the card are within the contemplation of the invention; but the means described avoids the necessity of separate fasteners and enables the entire metal structure to be made of only two pieces.

The removable index slip may consist of a simple one-ply strip of paper or the like, but I prefer to use a composite, protected, index slip, comprising a folded sheet of paper 11, or other suitable material, on which the index characters may be inscribed, and a folded sheath or casing 10 consisting of transparent sheet material, such as sheet celluloid, for enveloping and protecting the inner strip 11.. lVhen assembled, as best shown in Fig. 2, the folds of the two members are oppositely disposed as indicated in the drawings, so that the free edges of the two leaves of strip 11 will be confined at the folded edge of the sheath 10, and the free edges of the two leaves of sheath 10 will in turn be confined by the retaining lip either at the top or bottom of the slip-holding device formed by the metal plates 5 and 7. To facilitate the removal of the index slip a thumb notch 12 (Fig. 1) may be formed in the edge of plate 5 at the end of the slideway.

I claim:

l. An index card having a metal tab comprising a metal plate secured to one side of the card and projecting beyond the edge of the card, a retaining lip at the free outer edge of the plate, and a second-metal plate secured to the opposite side of the card with its outer edge terminating beyond the edge of the card but short of the retaining lip on the first plate.

9'. An index card having a metal tab comprising a metal plate secured to one side of the card and projecting beyond the edge of the card, the outer bargin of the plate being bent over to form a narrow retaining lip integral with the plate, and a second metal plate secured to the opposite side of the card with its outer edge terminating beyond the edge of the card but short of the retaining lip on the first plate.

3. An index card having a metal tab comprising a metal plate secured to one side of the card and projecting beyond the edge of the card, a retaining lip at the free outer edge of the plate, and a second metal plate secured to the opposite side of the card with its outer edge terminating beyond the edge or. the card but short of the retaining lip on the first plate, said plates being directly :lastened together, and to the card, through apertures provided therefor in the card, without independent fasteners.

at. A tab for an index card provided with a slideway adapted to receive a removable index slip, and a composite index slip removably held in the sliden'ay comprising an inner member of sheet material folded i lengthwise, and an outer member of transparent sheet material folded lengthwise and enreloping the inner member, the folds of the two members being oppositely disposed.

An index card having an index tab comprising a substantially flat plate of sheet material secured to one side of the card and projecting beyond the edge of the card, the outer margin of said'plate having a reversely directed integral flange, a second plate secured to the other side of the card and substantially in the plane of said'flange, the outer edge of said second plate extending beyond the edge of the card and being spaced from the adjacent edge of the flange and an index protector of transparent material reinovably retained in operative position adjacent the edgeof the card by engagement with said flange and the projecting edge of said second plate.

Signed by me at Boston, Massachusetts, this 7th day of November, 1919.

, LABURTON A. GALE. 

